Blue Bailing Twine With Bits Of Broken Bottles

Blue twine with broken bits of bottles

I found the broken bottle necks on the farm.  They come up from the ground when it rains with the other shards of glass.  They were too pretty to throw away, so I had them in the houses on the window sill.

But as I was tying two more pieces of twine onto the gate post, I thought they would be the perfect addition.  I had three and over the past couple of days, I tied them all to the gate post.

The third piece of broken bottle.

I believe I’ve fed the final bale of last years hay to the donkeys and sheep.  So from now on, no more orange twine.  The rest will be blue twine from this years hay.

You can see how my Blue Bailing Twine has evolved from the first two strands until now on my Pinterest.  Just click here.

A Few “Ode To The Moon and Sun” Potholders For Sale

My Ode to the Moon And Sun Potholders For sale here

I only have three of them available, but if you’d like one of my Ode to the Moon and Sun Potholders, you can buy them in my Etsy Shop.  Just click here.

They are $25 each +$5 shipping for one or more.

I wasn’t sure why this fabric spoke to me a couple of weeks ago when I pulled it off my shelf.  I’ve had it a while.  But then Sally wrote to me and asked if she could have three of them.  Where she lives she will be able to see the upcoming solar eclipse in April.  She sees the potholders as an ode to the eclipse and wants to give them to friends who will be viewing it with her.

It made me wonder if subconsciously, I wasn’t inspired to make these potholders by the eclipse too.

I’ve already sold 13 of them (that magic number 13) and they are pretty popular.  I do have more fabric so I may make a few more before April 8th.

Finding The Fabric For My Meditation Tree

The fabric I’ll be using to make my Meditation Tree

There are too many piles of fabric scattered around my studio.  It took me a while to find the right fabric for my Meditation Tree.  I went from too dark (the first one looked like a Halloween tree) to fabric that paled on the old quilt background.

After lunch I found what I was looking for in a brown scarf with purple iridescence. Then I added two other pieces of fabric to it.  A patterned silk and a reddish-brown cotton.  I like the mix textures.

When I pinned it altogether I could see that it was what I was looking for.

I didn’t get to stitch it down, or even get it pinned to the right shape. But at least now I know what I’ll be working with.

Making A “Meditation Tree” Fabric Painting

Finding the ground for my Meditation Tree

This is how it works.  One idea leads to another.  As I was making my Meditation Trees, I saw in my mind another Meditation Tree.  This one bigger made from fabric and sewn onto an old quilt.  I couldn’t see the leaves, I still can’t, but I know they will come.

This morning I went looking for the ground for my tree.  I pulled all the old quilts that people have sent me over the years from the top shelf where I keep them.  I easily found what I was looking for and cut it to size.

What I didn’t see was the “Star” on one end of the piece I had cut.  It would be the perfect placement for my Earth Energy Spiral.  But it was a bit too close to the bottom.   My first mistake and I’d hardly begun.

But it’s one of those mistakes that adds to the piece.  Using old pieces of fabric there are always going to be imperfections.  It’s one of the reasons they work for me.  They bring something to the piece that I wouldn’t or couldn’t have.

taking out the stitches

My second mistake came when I sewed the extra piece of fabric on to the bottom the wrong way.  I wanted to use the back of the quilt because the front of the quilt has some pale pink fabric on it.  I considered if this mistake was fortuitous like the first, and decided the pale pink wouldn’t work.

So I got out my seam ripper and removed the stitches being carful of the old fabric which rips easily.  But even this mistake had its purpose.  It slowed me down, and reminded me not to get ahead of myself.

There is no hurry, I told myself,  making my Meditation Tree will take the time it takes.

painting the back of the quilt along the hand stitching

Once that was done, and the piece sewn on correctly, I got out my fabric paint. I did some experimenting then chose a purple to paint the quilting threads of the star.  I painted it on the back of the quilt so the paint will stain the hand stitching on the front.

But it wasn’t quite right.  The paint was uneven.  It obscured some of the star and made other parts of it stand out too much.

I wanted to the star to be subtle enough so I could stitch a spiral over it.  So I worked on it some more until I came up with something that looked just right to me.

And that’s where I left it for today.  Next I will  hand sew  the fabric tree.  That needs to be in place before I do anything else.

The purple star that I will stitch my spiral over.

I’m Making Some More “Meditation Trees”

The tree stages of stitching and painting my Meditation Trees. I sew each one individually so they are all unique.

The first two batches of Meditation Trees sold so quickly I thought there might be more people who wanted them.  Then when I got a few emails asking if I was making more, I knew for sure I would.

Yesterday I cut the fabric and tea stained it overnight.  This morning I hung them out to dry. It was such a warm and sunny day that it didn’t take long.

Often when I make an image over and over I get tired or bored with it.  But that hasn’t happened with my Meditation Trees.  I don’t know if it will.

There is something calming about making them.   And when I’m sewing the Earth energy spiral, I get mesmerized watching the variegated thread as it turns from turquoise to purple to indigo.

I’m making nine more Meditation Trees and will have them all done and for sale next week.

A close-up of one of my Earth energy spirals.

Sue Silverstein Needs Yarn and Roll Up Window Shades For Her Art Classes

Mixed media art using yarn by one of Sue Silverstein’s students

Sue Silverstein needs yarn and roll up window shades for her art class.   You can send them to:

Sue Silverstein, Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, New York, 12304.

Sue texted pictures of some of the paintings and mixed media pieces her students are making. These are nice!  I texted her back, I love the “string” water.  

It’s mixed media with paint and yarn.  And it seems there are a bunch of girls in Sue’s classes that are “going thought yarn like crazy.”  Not only are they using them in mixed media pieces, but they’re also crocheting all kinds of things including flower bouquets.

Yarn is an easy one.  There are always people who have extra yarn.  Even I have some that I can give to Sue.

It’s the window shades that might be a bit tougher.

Except that it was only a year or so ago that I got rid of the window shades that were in the house when we moved in. (If only I knew Sue could use them) I’m not sure what plans Sue has for the shades. I can picture them being used as a surface to paint on, but I’m intrigued to see what her students create.

So if you have any old or extra yarn that you’re looking to give a good home to where it will be used well.  Or if you want to finally get rid of the old window shades stored in your attic, you can send them to Sue and her students will make them into art.

You can mail the yarn and window shades to: Sue Silverstein, Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, New York, 12304.

Another Student who used one of the old frames someone sent as a part of their painting.

“Thinking of Snow” All Done

 

Me and “Thinking of Snow.” Photo by Jon Katz

On this late winter day, when we woke to three inches of snow on the ground, I finished my quilt “Thinking of Snow”.

A little less than half of it needed to be tacked, then I hand sewed the opening and signed it.

Sheila, who bought the quilt asked if I would post a photo of the quilt with me standing  by it.  So Jon came to my studio after lunch and he took our picture together.

I’m not good at and don’t like posing for pictures.  So I asked Jon to talk to me while he took the picture so it would be more natural.  I think it worked out well.

Tomorrow I’ll put Thinking of Snow in the mail and send it off it its new home.

I feel like I learned something from making Thinking of Snow that I’ll be able to use in the future.  Intellectually I know the importance of the idea of the space in between, the negative space, but the more I practice it (and I did a lot making this quilt)  the more I will trust and embody it.

Thinking of Snow all done
Full Moon Fiber Art